A list of the backup centers Sixers have employed behind Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the top teams in the East since Joel Embiid stepped onto the floor for them in the 2016-17 season. The big fella has been the transcendent star the franchise needed to regain relevancy in the league.
The biggest issue has been the backup center spot. The Sixers have not settled on one guy who can give positive, productive minutes behind Embiid so the big fella can rest.
In Embiid’s six seasons with the Sixers, Philadelphia has employed a number of backup centers, and it appears as though there will be a new backup in the 2022-23 season, young Paul Reed.
Here are all the backup centers during the Embiid era.
Jahlil Okafor
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Okafor was the starting center in his rookie season before Embiid returned from his injury. He averaged 8.6 points as a reserve in the 2016-17 season compared to 13.4 points as a starter again when Embiid’s rookie season was cut short after 31 games.
Richaun Holmes
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Holmes received some starts in the 2016-17 season after Embiid was injured, but he was mostly a backup and filled the role of the energy guy off the bench. He is now a starter with the Sacramento Kings.
Amir Johnson
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Johnson was signed in the 2017 offseason, and the veteran big man filled the backup role admirably. He averaged 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in the 2017-18 season. He started a game in the playoffs when Embiid had to miss time with the original facial fracture. He was also the backup in the 2018-19 season.
Greg Monroe
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Monroe was signed late in the 2018-19 season as another backup to Embiid and he even started a game in the playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Alas, he and Johnson were not much help in the second round as the Sixers were a minus-90 when Embiid wasn’t on the floor against the Toronto Raptors.
Al Horford
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The plan was pretty simple. Horford would start next to Embiid and be the backup center when Embiid missed games. Instead, the experiment blew up in Philadelphia’s face. Horford couldn’t find a fit with Embiid and Ben Simmons. He was shipped out after a tough 2019-20 season.
Dwight Howard
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Howard signed with Philadelphia in the 2020 offseason. He was a terrific backup to Embiid. He averaged 7 points and 8.4 rebounds to go along with almost a block per game in the 2020-21 season. Those numbers went down in the playoffs, but he was very helpful before he left to go back to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Andre Drummond
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The 2021-22 season was Drummond’s turn to back up Embiid, and he was great in the role. He averaged 6.1 points and 8.8 rebounds off the bench and his athleticism was a big help when Embiid couldn’t go. He was shipped to the Brooklyn Nets, however, to get James Harden and the position changed again.
DeAndre Jordan
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Jordan was then signed after Drummond was moved, but he wasn’t the same player he once was. The raw numbers of 4.6 points and 5.8 rebounds were good, but he wasn’t able to move the same on the defensive end and he didn’t have the impact he once did when he was an All-NBA first-team member with the Los Angeles Clippers. He started two games against the Miami Heat in the 2022 postseason with Embiid dealing with a second facial fracture. He was a minus-31 in the postseason.
Paul Reed
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Reed was the primary backup to Embiid in the 2022 playoffs and his plus/minus wasn’t bad at minus-4 in the postseason. That’s a number the Sixers would be able to live with in the 2022-23 season.
